


The Omashu High School Players

by swanjones



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, High School, Romeo and Juliet References, School, Theatre
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-25
Updated: 2020-07-12
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:55:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,162
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24904177
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/swanjones/pseuds/swanjones
Summary: Freshman Aang is devastated when he discovers that he is not cast in the role he wanted in this year's production of Romeo and Juliet.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 24





	1. The Cast List

**Author's Note:**

> I have never written an AU before, but I got this idea in my head and I've been thinking about it a lot. They can still bend in this AU, but it's not really integral to this story. Hopefully you like it!!! :) (more chapters in the works)

CHAPTER 1: THE CAST LIST  
“The cast list! They finally put up the cast list!!” Aang bounced up and down to see over the crowd of students that had gathered around the bulletin board. “Ugh! Toph, I can’t get to the board.” He said he, defeated. As soon as her best friend uttered that he needed help, Toph earthbent the concrete floor, separating the people in the hallway to either side, making a perfect path to the board. 

“Toph! We’re not supposed to bend in the halls!” Aang scolded. Toph blew a puff of air to get the hair out of her eyes.

“I’m just trying to help you, Twinkle Toes.” She spat at Aang. He took off through the path she had made him. He had been anticipating this moment since before the auditions. He pushed past the last bit of people, and finally, he was standing face to face with the cast list for this years’ production of Romeo and Juliet. Surely, I’m going to get Romeo! I’m perfect for the part. He thought to himself. He closed his eyes, and with a deep breath, he opened them.

CAST  
ROMEO: Zuko  
JULIET: Katara

What?! He thought. No, no, no! There is no way those two could play opposite to each other. He used his finger to skim down the list to find his name.

FRIAR LAWRENCE: Aang

Friar Lawrence?! I’m a freshman?! This is so stupid. The crowd around the list had dissipated and he slid his back down the wall. He sat in a slump underneath the cast list. Toph finally met him at the board.

“Can you believe this, Toph? I mean, just LOOK at this cast list.” Aang said.  
“You never cease to amaze me, Aang.” She said snarkily. 

“Oops,” He said in realization. “I got Friar Lawrence. Zuko got Romeo. It’s stupid! It’s probably just because he’s an upperclassman.”

“I don’t know, Twinkle Toes. His audition sounded pretty good.” She slumped down on the floor next to Aang. “Maybe he was just better for the role.”

“That’s just because he’s so angry all the time. He didn’t give Romeo any depth, he just made him yell. I would be able to do so much better.” Aang stood up and grabbed his backpack off of the ground.

“Well, if it makes you feel any better, I bet you’ll be a great Friar Lawrence. You’re boring enough to be a Friar.” Toph joked. She didn’t really know what a Friar was, she just assumed it would be boring, because she slept most days when they read the play in class. “Hey,” She started. She sensed that she had hurt his feelings. “I’ll be backstage the whole time, since I’m on crew. I can cheer you on.” She smiled at Aang and then planted a punch on his arm. He winced and grabbed his arm as she laughed at him.They shuffled down the empty hallway, and parted ways at the grand entrance to Omashu High.

“See you tomorrow, Toph!” Aang called out behind him to his best friend.

“Later, Friar Lawrence.” She replied.

.....

The next morning in homeroom, Aang was a wreck. He wore his signature beanie, with an arrow on it. He tugged at it, making sure it was aligned straight on his forehead. He almost always had it crooked. After school, they had their very first readthrough for the play, and he wanted nothing more than for it to be over with. Toph scurried into the door right as the tardy bell rang, and she took her seat next to Aang. Their homeroom instructor, Sifu Iroh, took attendance. He taught The Culture and History of Bending, which was strictly an upperclassmen course, but for homeroom, he liked to have a chance to spend time with the freshman. They sat lazily in their desks through the morning announcements, and through Iroh’s morning anecdote. They loved the old man dearly, but there’s only so much philosophical wisdom high school freshmen can absorb at 8 in the morning. 

“Congratulations to our very own Aang, for getting cast in this year's spring play. He will be playing Friar Lawrence, and I am so excited to see him on stage in a few weeks.” Iroh smiled sweetly at Aang, he was genuinely proud of the boy. Aang smiled sheepishly back at him. All eyes in the classroom were on him… well except for Toph’s. He had been at Omashu High for less than a semester, but he had quite the reputation, being the Avatar and all. Not much for an Avatar to do when he still has to take Algebra 1, Aang would explain, but his classmates would still whisper about him when he passed in the halls. The only classmates that didn’t care about his title were Toph and Katara. It’s what he expected from Toph, as they’d been best friends for a while, but Katara’s acceptance was a breath of fresh air to him.

He remembers meeting her like it was yesterday…..  
The freshmen are all required to pick an elective fine art for their schedule, so Aang and Toph decided to try out Drama their freshman year. Well, Toph wanted to try pottery, but Aang begged her to join drama class with him, so she obliged. On the first day of class, they entered the auditorium and there was a large circle of chairs organized on the stage. They took their seats next to each other, and as everyone filtered in, the most beautiful girl sat down next to Aang. Her long dark hair was in a tight braid down her back, and her eyes twinkled under the stage lights. She must have caught him staring at her, or maybe she was just this kind to everyone, because soon after she sat down, she turned to Aang and introduced herself.

“Hi. I’m Katara.” She said, her arm outstretched, gesturing for a handshake. Aang’s hands were clammy, so he quickly shook her hand. Wow, he thought, her hands were so soft.

“I’m Aang.” He answered shyly. “This is my friend Toph.” He gestured to her, slouching in the chair next to him. “We’re freshmen.” He blurted. Toph kicked his chair, and he jerked forward.

“Why would you tell her we were freshman, dork. She’s gonna think you’re lame now.” She hissed at Aang under her breath. It didn’t matter that she was a freshman, that wouldn’t make her lame…. But for Aang… that would be the final nail in his coffin.

“Well,” Katara giggled. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m a sophomore.” She smiled at Aang and he blushed. “My brother Sokka is a junior.” She motioned across the circle to him, he was sitting with a girl and a guy. “That’s his girlfriend, Suki. She’s captain of the dance team, and president of the Junior class. And that’s Zuko. He’s Sokka’s good friend.” Aang was very interested in these introductions. Sokka seemed like a cool guy, he hoped to get to meet him. Zuko on the other hand… Aang would not be disappointed if they never crossed paths. 

The chairs continued to be filled. On another side of the circle, three girls took their seats. Aang could tell by the way eyes landed on them as they entered the auditorium that they were not to be messed with.

“Who are they?” Aang asked, genuinely curious.

“That’s Azula, Mai and Ty Lee. Azula and Ty Lee are in my grade, but Mai is a junior.You can never assume which weeks she’s dating Zuko, they break up practically every other day. By the looks of it, they’re not together right now. Azula is Zuko’s little sister. Somehow she got elected to be president of the speech and debate club, even though the spot is almost always reserved for upperclassmen. Ty Lee is super sweet… honestly, I’m not sure why she hangs out with them….” Katara said. It almost sounded like she was disappointed in her…

“Wow, thanks!” Aang said. She nodded at him, and turned to the center of the circle where the instructor now stood. Aang didn’t look up at the man teaching the class though he just kept his eyes on Katara.

He trudged through his whole day, dreading that afternoon, when he would have to watch Katara pretend to be in love with Zuko. The thought of it made him sick to his stomach. He barely ate at lunch, and he zoned out in all of his classes. On most days, the distractions would make his day longer, but of course on the day he didn’t want class to end, the periods seemed to fly by. The next thing he knew, 8th period was over. Looks like he wasn’t getting out of this one anytime soon. At least not for the next two and half hours.


	2. The Readthrough

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aang and Toph try to fit into a rhythm in Drama Class in the first read through for Romeo and Juliet.

CHAPTER 2: THE READTHROUGH  
Aang and Toph hurried to the auditorium from their lockers after eighth period. They found the rest of the cast sitting in the auditorium in their various cliques and groups. Toph felt that the rest of the crew was gathering backstage, so she started to walk away from Aang.

“Good luck, Twinkle Toes.” She said as she shuffled backstage. Without Toph, Aang was probably going to have to sit by himself. He cautiously walked down the aisle, and took a seat, alone, and away from all of the other students.

“Hey, Aang! Psst! C’mere!” Katara whispered over to him. She waved him over. Aang was thrilled at the invitation, but when he looked up, he noticed that Katara was sitting with Sokka, Suki, Zuko, and some other girls that Aang didn't know. She kept waving him over, so Aang had to oblige. He scooted over to her and she smiled. Sokka gave him a goofy smile and wave.

“Hey, dude! You’re playing Friar Lawrence as a freshman, that’s sweet.” Sokka said. At first, Aang assumed he was joking, but after scanning Sokka’s face, he realized that he was very much serious.

“Uh, ha,” Aang chuckled nervously. “Thanks. I guess I just got an ‘old man’ way about me.” He joked. Zuko snapped his neck at him and shushed them both. Their director had been giving them instructions throughout this whole interaction, and Aang hadn’t heard a single one. Monkey feathers! He thought. I have to pay attention. He smacked his forehead with the palm of his hand,

Once the rest of the group began the readthrough, Aang picked up on what they were supposed to be doing without the director's instruction. It should have been obvious… it was a readthrough, and they were… reading through the show. Seemed simple enough to Aang. His mood quickly shifted when the soon-to-be Romeo and Juliet began to read their scenes. They were really good… a little too good for Aang’s liking. Surely he would have done Romeo differently, but Toph was right, Zuko was practically perfect for the part.

They read through two whole acts, without stopping, and Aang was beginning to question why he didn’t just join pottery with Toph. On their quick break, he darted out to the hallway to get a drink from the water fountain. The best water fountain in the school was located outside of the auditorium, but when he went to take a drink, the water pressure was so low that the water barely came out. All of a sudden the stream returned to normal. Aang was visibly puzzled, when he heard giggles coming from behind him. He quickly turned around to see Katara covering her mouth mischievously. 

“You’re a waterbender?” Aang asked. Katara immediately shushed him.

“Shhhhh. Not too loud. No bending in the halls, remember.” She winked. Aang’s heart fluttered. She leaned up against the wall next to the water fountain.

“You’re doing a really good job.” Aang told her. She smiled.

“You too! I wouldn’t have guessed a freshman would do so well at your role but you are nailing it!!” She patted his back. Aang could have flown through the roof.

“Thanks! I ran lines with my dog, Appa last night. He doesn’t say them back, but it’s still good practice.” Katara laughed at the thought of Aang reciting Shakespeare to a dog. The moment was quickly over when Zuko’s head popped out of the doorway.

“Hey.” He said flatly. It was less of a greeting and more of a bark. “Break’s over. We’re starting Act 3.” He didn’t wait for a response. He just spun on his heel and walked back into the auditorium.

“I like him better when he’s in character,” Aang murmured to Katara. She giggled.

“Oh, he’s not too bad, he just likes to act gloomy around the underclassmen. He’s sweet, he really is.” She explained. She walked back into the auditorium, her footsteps so light on the ground that she could have been floating. Every step looked effortless. 

“Ugh! I’m stupid!” Aang exclaimed. “They’re friends! I shouldn’t talk badly about him to her!!!” He hung his head and returned to his seat in the auditorium.

As things were heating up with Romeo and Juliet, Aang could feel himself glancing at the clock on the wall everytime they flipped a page in the script. One of the only breaks from the torture was in the scenes between Juliet, and her nurse, who was being played by a very bitter Azula. Rumor has it that she wanted to do Merchant of Venice, but the director wouldn’t back down to her threats, or uhm….. Suggestions. Azula delivered her lines purposely dull, as she glared across the seats to Katara. Katara however, sweetly replied, never once dropping her character. 

The distractions were outweighed by the sheer number of scenes Katara and Zuko had to share together. Come on do they think the show is all about them or something? Aang thought. Oh wait… Romeo and Juliet… Dang it.

Aang’s favorite part of the readthrough? When Romeo died. Sounds harsh for such a sweet tempered kid, but not having to hear Zuko profess his love to Katara regardless if they were in character or not was enough for Aang. However, Katara flawlessly delivered her lines to Zuko, after discovering his or rather Romeo’s dead body. Aang had to remind himself over and over again, they’re just acting… they’re just acting…. But even if they weren’t…. Aang had no place in Katara’s mind. He was just the goofy little freshman.

After all five painfully long acts, the readthrough finally came to a close. The students gathered their scripts and bookbags, as they filed out of the auditorium. Some students lingered behind to chat with friends. Aang waited for Toph at the front of the stage. She eagerly ran up to him, the sleeves of her hoodie pushed up past her elbows. Her hair was tousled and she had smudges of dirt on her face.

“I LOVE backstage crew, Aang!” She exclaimed. She earthbent her bag off of the floor and into her arms. She was so reckless with bending at school, even though she could get punished for it. “They didn’t tear down last year’s sets, so they asked me to destroy them all!!! It’s great.” 

“Well, I’m glad you had such a great time…” Aang said sourly. 

“Wow that’s some mega negativity, Twinkle Toes. What’s up?” She pried. As he was about to explain his qualms, he heard a sweet voice calling out to them.

“Bye Toph,” Katara called out. “Good night, Aang! See you tomorrow!” She jogged a bit to catch back up with Sokka and Suki who wasted no time in leaving rehearsal. Aang just gently waved back at her as she left.

“Well, are you going to tell me what happened?” Toph said, as she nudged Aang’s arm.

“Nothing. I’ll be okay.” Aang smiled. They were just acting. He reminded himself.

“Whatever, Twinkle Toes. You are such a weirdo.” She said as she walked past him. She knew he’d snap out of it and catch up soon.

“Yeah….” Aang said. He had spaced out so much that by the time he snapped back, Toph was standing in the doorway of the auditorium waiting for him. “Oops!” He realized. “Sorry, I’m coming!” He grabbed his bookbag and scurried out of the theater with his best friend.

They were just acting. He thought.


	3. Running Lines...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katara invites Aang to her house to run line with her brother and friends.

CHAPTER 3: RUNNING LINES...  
The time before opening night was growing shorter and shorter, and Aang began to question more and more everyday why he couldn't have just taken pottery class. He had presumed that Drama class would be a walk in the park, but it was proving to be much more than that on a daily basis. Toph however, was loving her time in the theater. When Aang wasn’t dozing off in class, he was dozing off at rehearsal. 

Three weeks before tech week, the cast met for a scheduled rehearsal in the auditorium, like they did most afternoons after school. They were all more antsy to leave than usual however, because tomorrow was the first school day in weeks where they didn’t have rehearsal after school. They rushed through their lines carelessly, hoping that maybe they could finish early and have even more free time. Nevertheless, their director managed to drag out the length of rehearsal to fit the intended time slot… they finished right on time. 

“Hey! Aang!” Katara called out to him as he packed up his book bag. “Come over here!”  
Aang smiled and scurried to where Katara and her brother and friends were standing.

“Want to come to our place tomorrow and run lines with us?” She asked sweetly. A lump rose in his throat. Wow…. he thought… Me! Running lines with someone besides Appa. He glanced upwards to see who the “us” Katara was referring to was. Sokka, he was playing Mercutio…. Suki was Rosaline… okay this is fine… that would be fine. 

“Okay!” Aang agreed. 

“Great! We can take you there after school tomorrow!” Katara flashed her signature beautiful smile at him. “Zuko! You still on to run lines tomorrow too?” She asked. Zuko didn’t turn around to answer her verbally, he just sat with his back to her and lifted a single thumbs up above his head.

“Great! We’re all good to go!” She said. “Meet me at the water fountain after eighth period tomorrow!” She followed her brother and Suki out of the auditorium.

“Yikes.” Toph’s voice rang from behind Aang. He spun on his heel to face her. “You’re shaking in your shoes, Twinkle Toes… What’s your deal?” 

“I’m going to Katara’s house to run lines with them….” Aang said distantly.

“Sweet!” Toph said. “Make a move, Aang.” She teased. Aang was mortified. 

“What?! What do you mean?” Aang played dumb.

“Dude. You can’t be serious… I’m blind and I can see the fat crush you’ve got on Katara.” She said coyly.

“I don’t have a crush on Katara. She’s just a friend.” Aang lied.

“Whatever…” Toph scoffed. “You’re lying like a dog.” She grinned and took up her backpack.

“Ugh… fine you’re right.” Aang resigned. Toph didn’t say anything… she already knew that she was right.

The next day, Aang was on cloud nine all day. At lunch he could barely contain his excitement. He and Toph sat at their lunch table alone, and Aang talked Toph’s ear off. Maybe he was excited, or more probably he was nervous. He looked up to the lunch line and saw Katara and Ty Lee with their trays. He waved at Katara, but she didn’t notice. Instead Ty Lee eagerly waved back. Aang slowly turned back to his lunch.

“Listen, you gotta play it cool tonight don’t be lame.” Toph warned him. 

“I am not lame.” Aang said as he took a bite out of a stalk of celery.

“See that right there, that’s what I mean. Who eats celery? Lame.” She laughed.

“I like celery….” Aang said, disappointed. 

“I’m just yankin’ your chain, Twinkle Toes.” She said. “But seriously, don’t embarrass yourself, ok? It will probably end up getting back to me and I might have to beat you up if you do anything too embarrassing.” She warned. Aang gulped…. It would be the first time Toph had beat him up, and it definitely wouldn’t be the last. That’s just how Toph is.

The periods after lunch trudged on slower than ever. Every equation in Algebra could have lasted a whole lifetime by Aang’s calculations. But, sure enough, the eighth period bell rang, and Aang zipped out of his classroom like a bullet. He was so quick to get to his and Katara’s meeting spot, that he had to wait almost 5 whole minutes for her to meet him there.

“Did you skip class?” She laughed as she approached the bored looking Aang leaning on the water fountain.

“Nope! I’m just fast… I guess.” Aang said. LAME! Toph’s voice rang through his head.

In the parking lot, Sokka stood leaning against a beat up little sedan. His arm was wrapped around Suki, as they chatted with Zuko who stood leaning on the car parked next to them.

“Oh… is that Zuko’s car?” Aang breathed a sigh of relief, he thought they would all be riding together.

“No. He carpools with Sokka, Suki and I to school. He left his car at our house this morning.” She explained. Aang sighed. Of course he did.

They all packed into Sokka’s small vehicle, Suki sitting in the passenger seat, and Aang crammed between Zuko and Katara in the back seat. 

“Here.” Katara said as she fished out the middle seat belt from between the seats. She handed it to Aang and he buckled himself in. They exchanged smiles.

“Aw, you don’t have to wear that, Aang.” Sokka said. “I’m the best driver in the junior class.” Suki and Zuko laughed. Aang had never heard Zuko laugh before. He did not like it.

“Sokka, regardless, it’s the law to wear one. And no you’re not. You ran into GranGran’s mailbox like two days ago!” Katara snapped at her brother.

“I swear she’s moving that thing! It was never there before.” He answered. The car erupted into laughter again. Aang sat, his knees together, and his hands in his lap. Zuko did not hesitate to take up all of the space in his seat, and some of the space in Aang’s seat. By the time they arrived at the house, Aang’s leg muscles burned from holding his leg so it wouldn’t touch Zuko’s. Suki and Zuko walked into the sibling’s house as if they lived there, but Aang was more cautious in his entrance. 

“Dad’s out of town on a business trip, so we have the house to ourselves tonight.” Katara explained when she saw Aang’s hesitance. He entered the house, it was a tad cluttered, but overall clean and welcoming. Katara shifted past him and grabbed snacks in the kitchen. She brought them out to the teenagers that had made themselves comfortable on the large blue couches in the living room area. Suki sat, practically on top of Sokka, whose legs were outstretched on an ottoman in front of the couch. Zuko sat comfortably next to Aang. Aang however was far from comfortable. He sat on the edge of the couch, with his legs glued together, holding his script in his lap. Suki, Sokka, and Zuko talked and joked, while Katara got drinks for all of her guests. Aang noticed her struggling with all of the cups, so he popped up and helped her carry them. She thanked him, and then took her place on the couch, in between Zuko and Aang. 

Aang sighed. He figured the awkwardness would be over now, they could just run lines, that’s what they came here for… he thought. But as time passed, and no one else had even opened their scripts, he realized that they probably weren’t going to anytime soon.

“Zuko, I thought Azula was going to kill Katara at the readthrough.” Sokka joked. Katara’s face grew red and Zuko scoffed.

“Yeah, I wouldn’t put it past her. She’s still pissed that we’re not doing the show she wanted. It’s whatever, I’m sure she’ll get over it.” Zuko said, rather withdrawn. 

“I’m excited though!” Suki chimed in. “I think the show is going to be great.” She glanced up at the clock. “Crap!” She exclaimed. “I’m gonna be late for dinner, Sokka can you take me home?” 

“Sure thing.” They both got up off of the couch and headed out towards the door. “Zuko, can you take Aang home? I won’t be back for like twenty minutes.” Sokka asked. Aang’s eyes grew wide. Please say no…. Please say no… he thought.

“Sure.” Zuko said. Aang turned to Katara.

“We never ran any lines.” He said, desperate to stall until Sokka returned.

“That’s okay.” She smiled. “We don’t usually when we hang out…. It’s the thought that counts right?” Aang laughed nervously as he noticed that Zuko was putting his shoes on by the door. Aang slowly got off of the couch, and inched to the door.

“I’ll see you tomorrow then, I guess.” Aang said as he rubbed the back of his neck.

“Yep! Back at it at rehearsal tomorrow.” She waved at the boys as they walked out of the door.

“See ya, Katara.” Zuko said, halfway through the door already. 

Zuko and Aang walked down the driveway to Zuko’s car and they both climbed in.


	4. Some Sort of Breakthrough

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko gives Aang a ride home after "running lines" at Sokka and Katara's house.

CHAPTER 4: SOME SORT OF BREAKTHROUGH

Aang twiddled his thumbs in the passenger seat of Zuko’s car. Unlike the beat-up interior of Sokka’s vehicle, Zuko’s seats were lined with black leather, and there were seat warmers, and cup holders. Aang didn’t know if he was better off initiating conversation, waiting for Zuko to initiate conversation, or just keeping his mouth shut. After a few minutes of silence, only broken by Aang’s occasional direction home, Zuko finally spoke.

“Aren’t you in my uncle’s homeroom?” He asked.

“Yeah. He’s great.” Aang said, and he meant it. 

“He is.” Zuko agreed. Silence fell over the car again. Aang watched the streetlamps whizz past the car window. 

“How do you think the show is going?” Aang asked. Zuko kept his eyes on the road, even though Aang had turned his head to look at him.

“Fine.” Zuko replied. He furrowed his brow, he was uncomfortable too.

“Take a right here.” Aang said. The car turned after his direction. Both of the boys tried to speak up.

“No, sorry, you go.” Aang said.

“Sorry, go ahead.” Zuko said at the same time.

“Okay,” Both of them said simultaneously. Aang chuckled, and Zuko began to laugh. Aang joined him, and for a moment, all of the tension in the car lifted.

“Hey, you’re doing a good job in the show.” Zuko said awkwardly. Aang smiled, it meant a lot, coming from an upperclassmen.

“Thanks! You too. You’re a really great actor.” Aang said.  
“Thanks… My mom used to put me in shows when I was little. I hated then, but now it reminds me of her, so I’m glad I stuck with it.” Zuko said. Wow, Aang thought, I didn’t realize Zuko had any other feelings besides grumpy.

“I’m sure she’d be proud of you. You’re great.” Aang felt sorry for Zuko, he really did. For the first time since getting in the car, Zuko looked over at Aang. He smiled, and Aang returned the smile. And still, the car became silent again. Zuko flipped on the radio, and Aang began to hum along to the pop song that played throughout the car. 

“Right there is my driveway.” Aang pointed, and Zuko promptly turned into the stretch of concrete. “Thanks a ton.” Aang said, as he eagerly hopped out of the car.

“No problem. Anytime, Aang.” Zuko said, kindly. Aang was kind of taken aback by the gentleness in his tone. Even though they hadn’t spoken much in the car, Aang felt as if they had had some sort of a breakthrough in their previously seemingly nonexistent friendship. He was beginning to feel that he had the potential to become real friends with Zuko, and that maybe they might have more in common than he would have expected. He waved at Zuko as he shut the door. Aang watched as Zuko sat in his driveway, his face illuminated by his cell phone, for quite a while after Aang had gotten out of the car, it was almost as if he didn’t want to return home. Just as Aang was about to turn back and invite him inside, Zuko backed out of the driveway, and whizzed down the street. Aang sighed.

Zuko didn’t drive as carefully without a passenger in the car, but still he returned home in one piece. He quietly opened the front door to his house, and creeped quietly up the stairs to his room. His father wasn’t home, but he really didn’t want to deal with Azula right now. He managed to get to his bedroom without Azula noticing he had returned home. He sat down on his bed, and began to read his script, as he did every night before falling asleep.


	5. The Road to Tech Week

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tech week slowly approaches, and the cast bonds over their new love... or hatred for their costumes.

CHAPTER 5: THE ROAD TO TECH WEEK

After their short break of one whole evening, the cast was back at rehearsal, with their nose to the grindstone. It was starting to set in for Aang that in just three short weeks, he would actually have to perform the play for an audience full of people and not just an auditorium of mostly empty chairs. He was slowly beginning to dread opening night. Toph on the other hand was eagerly waiting for opening night, because the sooner the show opened, the sooner it would close, and then she would get to strike the set.

“What do you mean, ‘strike’ the set?” Aang asked Toph as they walked through the halls, two weeks before tech. 

“We get to destroy all the sets we built again!” Toph said excitedly. She clenched her fists in anticipation. “All the hard work will be worth it.” Aang sighed nervously. At least she was able to confidently say that her hard work would be worth it, because he had no clue how he was going to fare during the real performances. If he failed, all of his hard work would be for absolutely nothing.

“Dude, why are you so nervous?” Toph said as she punched Aang square in the arm. Aang winced. “You’ll be fine… even if you mess up, it’s not like anyone will know. It’s Shakespeare for crying out loud, no one even knew what he was saying in the first place.” They laughed at the shared thought of Aang completely butchering his performance and no one even suspecting a thing. 

“See you at rehearsal, Toph!” Aang said as he parted ways from his friend.

“I will not see you at rehearsal, but I appreciate the sentiment.” She shot a crooked smile at Aang as she too, turned and walked away from him.

After his ride home with Zuko that night, Aang was actually right to assume that they might become better friends as a result. Aang actually found himself talking to Zuko a lot at rehearsal in their downtime, and as a result, their scenes on stage were flowing better than they ever had in the past. Aang felt a new sense of freedom on stage, now that he was more confident in Zuko’s opinion of him. Aang was becoming better friends with Sokka and Suki now too, since they were almost always involved in their conversations. 

“Listen up,” Their director shouted after rehearsal one night. “We have been on the road to tech week since auditions, but these next two weeks are the last normal rehearsals we will have. I have some notes on tonight’s rehearsal, please take your notes and reflect on them. Sokka, please stop talking backstage, I could hear you all the way in the audience. Remember, Mercutio is dead, and to hear him talking about what he had for lunch backstage after that takes the audience out of the moment.” He started.

Sokka gave a cheesy smile and chuckled as the rest of the cast giggled. Suki swatted his arm.

“I told you that you needed to be quiet.” She quipped.

“Zuko, Aang, great job on your scenes tonight,” The boys exchanged a high-5. “Azula, try to be a little less angry, and a little more matronly in your scenes with Katara. The nurse is supposed to love and care for Juliet.” Azula rolled her eyes, her arms crossed.

“That’s all for tonight, your costumes will be in tomorrow, and you all will be able to start wearing them at rehearsal. You all are dismissed, see you tomorrow.” 

The students herded out of the auditorium. Aang and Katara walked up the aisle in between the seats side by side.

“You and Zuko were killing it today.” Katara remarked. “I can’t say the same for me and Azula…” She sighed.

“Thanks! We’ve really been clicking!” Aang smiled. “I’m sure Azula will come around, if not, at least you know that you’ll be great.” 

“Thanks, Aang. I’m really excited for opening night. My dad is coming back into town just in time to catch the show!” Deep down, Katara was nervous more than anything. She wanted to make her dad proud, and she was a perfectionist, so if her scenes went any way that was less than ideal she would never forgive herself.

“That’s great!” Aang beamed. “I can’t wait to meet him!” 

The next night at rehearsal, all of the actors were decked out in their period garb for the show. Zuko’s black skinny jeans and baggy sweatshirt were replaced by pantaloons and a puffy, pirate-y shirt. Katara wore a long dress, with a corset, and layers of crinoline underneath. Aang watched as the costume crew helped fluff her skirt so that it laid just right. Aang was less impressed when he saw his own costume. When he exited the dressing room, his newfound friends all chuckled as he tripped over a long brown robe. 

“It doesn’t fit.” Aang grumbled.

“You’re tellin’ me!” Sokka gawked. “I could fit in there with you!!!” His own words gave him a brilliant idea, and he immediately began to chase Aang around the stage in an attempt to prove his comment correct. Suki and Katara laughed as Aang frantically ran from Sokka who chased him with his arms outstretched. Luckily for Aang, the costumer called over to Sokka just in time.

“You got lucky, Lawrence!” Sokka joked as he backed away from Aang slowly. Aang walked over to Katara, out of breath. As soon as he was about to speak to her, something caught their eyes. Zuko had wandered off from the group just before Sokka began to chase Aang, and they realized now that he was talking to Mai. Well he started talking, but they had gradually escalated into yelling. The group couldn’t make out what they were saying, but it sounded serious. The auditorium fell silent at the sound of their argument, and it wasn’t too soon after that they realized that the cast and crew had all started watching them, trying to decipher what minor issue they were arguing about this time. Mai huffed at Zuko and walked away. Zuko began to walk back towards them, but rather than joining their little discussion on the stage, he trudged out into the audience, and took a seat near the middle of the auditorium. He plopped down into a seat and crossed his arms, he looked like a toddler who had just been sentenced to time-out. Katara and Aang watched him with wide eyes, and then they slowly turned back to each other. Once they made eye contact, they broke into giggles. 

“It’s not funny,” Katara said through her giggles, which proved her statement to be incorrect.

“It’s a little funny,” Aang replied.


	6. Tech Week

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The cast struggles to make it through the ups and downs of tech week.

CHAPTER 6: TECH WEEK

After Mai and Zuko’s little outburst at rehearsal that one night, Zuko started to revert back to his cranky shell. Other than that setback, the cast was gelling better than it ever had before, and that was a rather good thing, considering they opened at the end of the week. Their rehearsals were longer now than they ever had been, and Aang found himself dozing off in class most days, even more than he had in weeks past. In the classes he shared with Toph, and she sensed him dozing off, she would earth bend his chair to jerk it forward or backward, and he always woke with a start. She would conceal her maniacal giggles as Aang did his best to regain his composure. 

Monday’s rehearsal was a nightmare. Choppy transitions, missed cues, overall just chaos. By the time the show was over, the cast as a whole was completely and utterly defeated. They sat slumped in their seats, as the director ripped them to pieces. He stood and practically dissected the play line for line, correcting inflections and scenes that should have been polished weeks ago. A common issue that high school productions fall into is saving too much to fix until it is far too late to do so…. And this production was no exception. Katara neatly wrote her critiques in her script as the director dished them out. Sokka pretended to listen, but in actuality, he was silently dozing off in his seat. Aang frantically scribbled the information onto a notecard he found in his bag. Zuko sat quietly and just internalized his notes. They trudged out of the auditorium, almost silent.

As a whole, the cast was more than ready to redeem itself by Tuesday's rehearsal. As they got into hair, makeup, and costumes, the energy in the dressing room was undeniable, they were pumped up. And the show flourished that night as a result of this. Almost all of the problems they had had the night before, seemingly vanished overnight, for once these inexperienced actors not only took their corrections, but actually applied them as well. It was like watching a well oiled machine on stage.

Everything ran as smoothly as ever, until act 3, when Katara had to deliver one of her longest monologues in the show. On most other nights, she executed it perfectly, never once misspeaking or inflecting incorrectly, but tonight, something came over her as she stood on stage. All of the lines she was supposed to deliver swiftly escaped her mind, and she was left with nothing but a blank expression across her face. Aang watched from the wings as Katara fumbled over her words, with a lack of grace and expression that he had never once seen from her before. He heard the director reluctantly attempting to feed her her lines from the audience, but even with his help, the monologue was barely uttered from Katara’s lips. Before she even exited the stage, Aang could see that tears had already begun to fall onto her cheeks, and he was sure that she wasn’t acting.

She exited the stage into the wings opposite from Aang, much more quickly than usual. Aang scurried behind the back curtain to try to find Katara. He found her sitting outside of the girls dressing room, her face in her hands. He frowned, and sat next to her.

“Hey.” He said timidly. Katara looked up from her hands at him, her stage makeup smudged slightly from her tears. “It'll be okay.” Aang said in the most reassuring tone he could muster.

“I don’t know what happened. I completely blanked. That was so embarrassing.” She let out a sigh. 

"You just put too much pressure on yourself, you won't be perfect every time... you just have to do your best." Aang didn’t know what came over him, but he felt the compulsive need to help her in some way. He took the sleeve of his costume and gently wiped the tears off of Katara’s cheeks. He expected her to react negatively, but she just smiled at him as he rubbed the tears away.

“Thank you.” She said, blushing slightly. “Oh, Aang you got makeup on your costume!” Katara said, concerned. Aang shrugged.

“It’s okay! I’ll take the blame! You know how freshmen are!” He made a goofy face and Katara giggled. “Oh!” Aang exclaimed. “It's almost time for your scene, you better get in the wings.” He advised. They both popped to their feet, and before heading to the wings to make her cue, Katara turned back and wrapped Aang in a big hug. He hesitated at first, but he hugged her back, and he felt every care in the world lift from his shoulders. She scurried into the wing, and entered for her next scene. The Katara that finished the rehearsal on Tuesday was calm and composed, the way she was normally. She finished so strongly, that the director had practically forgotten her flub up in the third act, and he didn’t even mention it in his notes for her. As they left the auditorium that night, Katara turned back from Sokka and Suki to say goodbye to Aang. She waved, her arm high above her head.

“Good night, Aang! See you tomorrow.” She said as she turned back around to catch up with her brother and Suki. Aang waved back and blushed. He felt a punch to his arm.

“Ow!” He cried as he clutched his arm.

“G’night lovebird.” Toph said. 

Wednesday’s rehearsal was a strange combination of the two previous ones. Some scenes ran better than they had on Monday, other scenes were so catastrophic that the cast members could see the director rubbing his temples in the audience all the way from the stage. Even though the state of the show was far from ideal, the cast was far more relaxed than they had been. They had simply begun to accept the fate of what was to come. The notes that followed the show felt like they took longer than the show itself, and all of the students sat in the seats, desperate for dismissal. This far into the show, the light at the end of the tunnel was so close, but yet so far, as they hadn’t even performed yet.

Thursday night was dark, meaning they had a free evening to rest… and that is exactly what they did. They were all eager to get home from school, not to hang out with friends, or to practice, but rather to go to sleep. Their hard work was coming to a head, and they were about to see the result of it, but that didn’t make them any less tired in the process. As Aang grabbed his textbooks from his locker on Thursday before leaving school, Iroh peeped his head out of his classroom.

“Tomorrow is the big day, Aang! Are you ready?” He asked, his voice as full and hearty as usual. Aang gulped.

“As ready as I’ll ever be.”


End file.
